Stocking



y 1, 1941- s. l. BURD ETAL 2,

STOCKING Filed May 20, 1940 T7 Jig Patented July 1, 1941 STOCKING Samuel I. Burd and Martin- M. Burd, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May'20, 1940, Serial No. 336,252

2 Claims.

' This invention pertains to knitted hosiery, and is directed especially to the reinforcement of portions of hosiery with elastic yarn. This application is a continuation in part of our Patent No. 2,208,300, granted July 16, 1940, and presents improvements and perfections of the invention therein disclosed.

The prior patent, referred to, isdirected to providing elastic fabric in certain fashioned areas of the hosiery which are subjected to wear-and strain, particularly to the toe portion, or the heel portion, or both. The present invention affords all the advantages of the invention disclosed in the prior application referred to, and embodies certain specified refinements in construction which afford additional advantages.

The object of the present invention is to reinforce the stocking against wear, in' areas subjected to the most wear and strain by making these areas elastic, and consists of knitting elastic yarn in such areas, for example, the toe; or the heel, or both. A further purpose of the invention is to so knit the elastic areas in stockings in a manner to overcome the natura1 tendency of knitted elastic yarns to cause the fabric to pucker.

The invention is susceptible of a number of modifications, certain of these being shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 shows the invention as applied to a full fashioned hose;

Figure 2 shows the invention as applied to a seamless knit hose, and

Figure 3 shows the invention in detail, as applied to the toe fashioning at one side of a full fashioned stocking blank.

In Figure 1 is shown a portion of a conventional full fashioned stocking embodying the invention, and comprising the foot portion 5 as a continuation of the leg portion 6. The foot portion 5 includes the toe 1 and heel 8, to which the invention is particularly pertinent.

The foot and high splice include the usual splice areas at and M, respectively, but the area l2 of the toe, and similarly, the area l3 in the heel, constitutes elastic fabric which resists the wear, as well as the strain, which is normally present in these areas.

The elastic area l3 in the heel begins at any place in the reinforced area in the heel or high splice. For example, and as in the embodiment shown, the elastic area can begin at the course indicated by line 14-, and it preferably continues, as shown, throughout the remainder of the heel, and to the terminal course I of the heel tab.

It may continue course-wise throughouththe width of the heel or to any extent therein. In the embodiment shownthe elastic area extends forward in the heelarea to the wale indicated at i6. Rearwardly, the elastic area preferably continues to the rear seam of the stocking at H.

In the. preferred practice of the invention theelastic area extends to and through the line of heel fashioning indicated at 18.

In the toe l the elastic can begin at any point in the toe reinforcement, as for example, at the course indicated at l9. In the practice of the invention shown, the elastic fabric "continues.

from .the' course at 19 throughout the remainder minal loopers course at 2! the lines of fashioning on each side of the stocking, comprising the, so called, diamondpoint-Zl,

to the foot seam at 24, and it includes'th'e lines of fashioning marks along the wales indicated at 22, 2-3,'in Figure 3.

In the practice of the invention, the elasticarea is produced by elastic'stran'ds or yarns of any suitable type, the elastic yarn being knitted,

preferably alone. When the elastic yarn is so knitted throughout the elastic area, the fabric has a tendency to pucker and does not shape well in the conventional boarding and finishing operation. To overcome this puckering, and 'resistance to shaping, in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown, the elastic area is knitted with courses of elastic yarn alternating with courses 26 of textile yarn of an inelastic character, which later may be of the conventional type usually used for knitting the toe, (see Figure 3).

In the knitting of full fashioned hosiery, the fashioning is produced by transferring loops. In the practice of the invention the elastic yarn is transferred as indicated at 21 in a manner similar to the transfer of loops of inelastic textile yarn under conventional practice, and in a similar manner to loops 28 transferred in courses of textile yarn in the disclosed embodiment of the invention (see Figure 3).

If desired, openwork may be produced in the elastic area, as for example, in the area of the diamond point, and this can be produced by the transfer of loops 29 (Figure 3). Any predetermined desired number of loops 29 may be transferred in any given course, and the transfer of loops 29 may be repeated in any predetermined courses as desired, to produce the desired number of openings in the elastic area of the toe, positioned Where desired.

Figure 2 shows the practice of the invention as applied to round and round or circular knit hosiery. In this embodiment the hosiery comprises the foot portion 3| and the leg portion 32, with the toe and heel portions, respectively, indicated generally at 33 and 34. In the case of circular knitting, the knitting continues from the leg 32 through the high splice area 35, and into the heel 34 which is knitted by reciprocating knitting on the, so called, heel needles, beginning at course 36. The elastic area is indicated generally at 31, beginning at any desired predetermined course as at 38, and ending at a predetermined course during widening, as at 39. Preferably, the beginning and end of the elastic area is knitted to meet along the narrowing and widening line 40 at a point, as at 4|.

An elastic area 42 may be knitted into the toe in a manner similar to the heel. After knitting the ring toe 43 round and round, the toe is begun by reciprocating knitting at 44, continuing so until the looping line is reached at 45, At a predetermined course, as at 46, the knitting of elastic fabric begins, and continues until a predetermined course during widening, as at 41. The courses 46 and 41 are preferably knitted to meet along the fashioning line 48 at a point 49.

As in the case of full fashioned knitting, the elastic areas are knitted in circular hose by knitting elastic yarn for a predetermined number of courses, alternating with a predetermined number of courses of textile yarn, which may be like the inelastic textile yarn conventionally used for heel and toe knitting. The alternation of courses of elastic yarn and. textile yarn produces alternate rows of elastic 5D and textile material 5|, and the predetermined courses of each are preferably knitted to have the elastic and textile rows, respectively, meet along the fashioning lines 40 and 48 in the heel and toe, respectively, as indicated in Figure 2.

In the specific application of the invention shown in Figure 3, two courses of elastic yarn are knitted alternating with a single course of textile yarn, a like arrangement being used in the circular knit hose of Figure 2. Obviously, any desired arrangement of alternate courses of elastic and textile yarn may be knitted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Other arrangements of elastic and textile yarn may be used within the scope of the invention. For example, elastic and textile yarn may be knitted together either in plating relationship, or otherwise, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

While the drawing shows the elastic reinforcement in the toe and heel portions of the stocking, it is to be understood that we are not limited to these areas, as the invention contemplates the adaptation of the elastic reinforcement to any area in stockings or other knitted fabrics which may be placed under strain.

Other modifications of the structure are possible without departing from the scope of the invention, which is measured by the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stocking knitted mainly of inelastic textile yarn comprising a fashioned area subjected to strain and including fashioning lines, the fashioned area comprising an elastic area extending to and through the fashioning lines, the elastic area comprising courses knitted with inelastic textile yarn and courses knitted with elastic yarn in alternative relationship.

2. A stocking knitted mainly of inelastic textile yarn comprising a fashioned area subjected to strain and including fashioning lines, the fashioned area comprising an elastic area extending to and: through the fashioning lines, the elastic area comprising courses knitted with inelastic textile yarn and courses knitted with elastic yarn in alternative relationship, and ventilating means provided in the elastic area comprising openwork knitting.

SAMUEL I. BURD. MAR-TIN M. BURD. 

